PAIN Defined

This is by no means Webster's definition of pain, but it's the definition that the Holy Spirit gave to me as I was running this morning, lol, appropriate during a run, right?! Also this is the definition that my flesh wants me to see:

Persistent
Agony
Initiating
Negativity

Ok, so don't worry, this blog will end up being an encouragement so please keep reading! Yesterday God used some beautiful women to open my eyes to some revelation as to what I have been processing internally. You know who you are and I thank God for you! It's amazing what an hour of talking split throughout the day with women of God can do for you!

My last blog was, well, I thought, a passionate cry for God to keep rewriting my story. A cry to want to do more, be more etc. I am still on that journey and train of thought, but while talking through things yesterday, I realize I have been fighting and praying through this issue of pain and suffering and of being content in it and being discontent in it. What is God's heart in all of that? Am I feeling and thinking the right things etc. Pretty much over analyzing lol. But, here's what God has helped me come to for today.

There are a lot of us who have been struggling with "PAIN", whether it be physical, spiritual or emotional, in our lives over the same issues for many, many years. What I've noticed over the years is that pain can be something that certainly produces negativity in our lives. It causes the bad things in our lives to be bigger than the good fruit that God is producing through the pain. So pain redefined from the Holy Spirit's perspective: (at least for me:)

Persistent
Acknowledgement
Initiating
New Life

Let me explain. In our pain, if we are persistent in acknowledging God in every area of our lives, in every moment of our lives it initiates new life or we could say, new fruit. Doesn't growth speak of new life? Bearing good fruit is growth, it's new life.

Proverbs 3:5-8, " Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. It is health to your flesh and strength to your bones."

My favorite scripture and theme of my life over the last year. Trusting in Jesus and not leaning on my understanding. Acknowledging Him and He is directing my path which leads to health and strength!

So in conclusion ;), in one of my conversations yesterday it hit me. I know all of these things. I know that the pain and the suffering in my life is producing amazing things, touching other people and doing exactly what God intends for it to do. But here's the deal, IT DOESN'T MAKE THE PROCESS OR THE JOURNEY ANY LESS PAINFUL!!! It still hurts, there is still the fight to either acknowledge negativity or new life.

 Jesus knew His journey on this earth. He knew that one day, He was going to be beaten beyond recognition and then be brutally nailed to the cross to pay the price for our sins. Do you think for one moment that every crack of that whip and pound of that hammer was any less painful just because He knew the outcome and the purpose of the pain? 

Think about that. Exactly. Pain is pain, but we have to define it with God's perspective and even though it still hurts we can choose to see the the good fruit over the negative and in that we are glorifying God and putting the enemy where he belongs.